SFO Quiet Airport (2025)

Posted by CaliforniaKarl 8 hours ago

SFO Quiet Airport (2025)(viewfromthewing.com)

128 points | 74 commentspage 2

bonsai_spool 4 hours ago|

The new Berlin Brandenburg airport is the most quiet and lovely I've seen to date: https://onemileatatime.com/berlin-brandenburg-airport-review...

rahimnathwani 5 hours ago||

I was waiting for a flight at SFO, trying to get some work done. Two airport employees were sitting at the next table. One of them started watching a video on her phone, on speaker, at loud volume. I politely asked her to use headphones or turn off the sound. Hey retort: "this is an airport!". I replied that it's a 'quiet airport' but her reaction suggested to me that she was not familiar with the concept.

traderj0e 4 hours ago|

"Quiet airport" doesn't mean this

rahimnathwani 3 hours ago||

It is what quiet airport means, at least in the context of SFO.

SFO's quiet airport policy is described on page 17 of this document: https://www.flysfo.com/sites/default/files/2025-12/2025-10%2...

Here are two quotations from that policy, directly relevant to the situation I described:

  "The playing of music is prohibited in the following locations: at the podiums, ticket counters, and seating areas adjacent to gates"

  "employees may not use mobile devices, including smart phones and tablets, in “speaker mode” in any public area of the Airport"

dmazin 8 hours ago||

Has anyone actually heard Eno at the airport? What is it like? Does it actually calm you?

have_faith 7 hours ago||

No, but I’ve heard Aphex Twin in an aquarium once. Bristol (UK) for anyone interested, which fits.

cholantesh 7 hours ago||

I was hoping to see discussion of this - to my knowledge it was sold to a few airports who removed it after it was poorly received: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/twentieth-century-mu...

Personally 1/1 has been absolutely sublime for me as a tool for meditation, but I don't know that I could imagine it in an airport.

traderj0e 4 hours ago||

SFO is so nice just because of this. I hope other airports follow.

HoldOnAMinute 4 hours ago|

Harvey Milk Terminal 1 is my happy place.

dry_soup 5 hours ago||

The one time I flew from Austin, there was a band playing at a restaurant in the ticketed area. Going through security it was bad (you could only really hear the drums) but once I was through it was downright painful. Really makes you wonder how these decisions get made.

jmugan 6 hours ago||

This is wonderful. I remember I was in Asia in 2000 relaxing at the airport and was puzzled why it felt so nice and peaceful. Then I realized that it was the lack of repetitive pointless announcements.

caycep 3 hours ago||

the biggest problem with SFO is all the delayed flights from weather/wind or some other logistical hassle. Usually I try to fly into SJC instead

markvdb 7 hours ago||

I'd love to also have a low smell airport.

So many airports direct passenger flow through a shopping zone drenched in perfume fumes. Disgusting as far as I'm concerned.

Not to mention the screaming visual pollution of course.

inatreecrown2 3 hours ago|

Came here to say just that. Smell and visual noise is rampant in most international Airports, especially the duty free areas.

AnimalMuppet 7 hours ago|

It's not just announcements. SLC (at least) used to have TVs playing the "Airport Channel". Last time I went through there (and maybe the time before?), they were gone. It makes a big difference. You still have announcements, but at least the announcements aren't cutting through some TV noise that you don't care about that is always there.

More comments...